Insurance
Understanding policyholder behaviour is crucial to the success of ALM and replicating portfolio strategies
Born of interest rate volatility, dynamic policyholder behaviour is a variable no insurer can afford to ignore – yet modelling it is problematic. How are companies adapting to the new market conditions?
Insurance inroads
Structured product manufacturers have targeted the insurance sector as a potentially important new distribution channel following the collapse in volumes of products sold through retail banks in the region. Ben Marquand finds out if they are gaining…
Statement of intent
Aviva Investors has made a decisive leap into the global structured products market, hiring an industry veteran to lead its multi-asset-class rollout. Sophia Morrell talks to Stephane Rougier, the ex-Lehman Brothers banker who is leading the push.
Future planning
Deloitte and Credit Suisse have made particularly strong showings in Life & Pensions’ third annual insurance rankings, after a long and difficult year in which insurers have been busily preparing for the implementation of Solvency II. Andrew Sheen reports
Choose life
The US life settlements sector is marketing itself to pension funds and European insurers as an easy way to add diversification to a portfolio. But how are the risks modelled and how can the banks and hedge funds that are brokering the transactions…
It's all relative
The Operational Risk Consortium recently carried out an analysis of its growing database of operational losses in the insurance business. It found evidence of the need for scaling, which suggests no firm's losses should be viewed in isolation. Mariano…
Rethinking and revaluing
Many US insurance companies have reported massive losses on the hedging of variable annuity products. European variable annuity providers, however, have faced problems of their own. Matt Cameron reports
When reality bites
Editor's letter